SEEING: a workshop with celebrated director Catherine Owens

Catherine Owens is an Irish artist and film director living in New York City. She is best known for her collaborative work as a director for visual content and in particular as the creative director of screen imagery for the Irish band U2 on their last five world tours. She is the co-director of the film titled U23D, which was made for 3D Imax and 3D Digital theatrical release in 2008. U23D documents the U2’s live performance in South America on their critically acclaimed 2006 Vertigo Tour. It was the first live action feature length 3D digital film made for theatrical release and its creation spearheaded a series of major technological breakthroughs in 3D film-making. The New York Times hailed it as “The first IMAX movie that deserves to be called a work of art.”

Owens has also directed U2’s ‘Original Of The Species’ video, nominated for two VH1 Music video awards. The video, which explored CG motion capture technology, was the precursor for her work on U23D. She has also created and directed visual content and animation for the San Francisco based group Kronos Quartet and for the Chinese Pipa player Wu Man, whose Carnegie Hall debut featured an intricate 20 minute animation directed by Owens. She is currently in development on a 3D feature film project for an Oscar Wilde fairytale - The Selfish Giant, a project that has received a 2011/2012 Irish Film Board development loan. In early 2012 Owens will commence shooting her third 3D film project a documentary on the Irish Dancer Colon Dunne. This project is in receipt of an Irish Film Board documentary development loan.

Date: Tuesday 27 March, 2.15pm

Venue: River Room, Lewis Glucksman Gallery, UCC